Somewhat Random Philosophical Thoughts

For some reason, this "relative truth versus absolute truth" debate is still intriguing me. The other day, I had a little epiphany concerning this verse: In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God. He was with God in the beginning. (John 1:1 NIV) Afterwards, I jotted down the following thoughts. They all fit together (at least in my brain) even tho they may seem a bit random. Most of them are in the form of questions. (Because I know how postmodern thinkers prefer to ask question rather than declare answers. Heh heh.) Here goes . . .

In the postmodern age, why is scientific truth absolute and moral truth relative? Some might argue that even in science, truth is not absolute. They may say scientific facts are merely ideas for which we have confirmation, but no ultimate proof; therefore, since the ideas are open to re-evaluation, they do not represent absolute truths. But, why would scientists seek to understand the physical world if they thought its laws were ever-changing, mutable, impossible to pin down? If gravity exists today, and tomorrow it does not, what’s the point of scientific inquiry?

Doesn’t science exist because the universe is governed by predictable laws? Today, water boils at a certain temperature based on altitude. Tomorrow, water will still boil at the same temperature based on altitude. The fact that scientists modify their theories based on newly acquired observations, does not mean absolute physical laws do not exist, it just means they are not yet fully understood.

So, if absolute laws exist to maintain physical order in the universe, might absolute moral laws exist also? What if they exist not only to maintain social order in this physical realm, but also to maintain order in the spiritual realm as well? What if absolute moral laws exist primarily for the spiritual realm—to keep it orderly, just as physical laws keep our universe orderly?

For the sake of argument, lets say there are absolute moral truths. These are truths with a capital “T”. And, also for the sake of argument, let’s say there is a spiritual realm, and these Truths are the laws that keep it orderly.

What if we were holding a camera and Truth was our subject? How would we focus in on it, bring clarity to it, observe its details? What if we placed each of man’s religious texts as a lens between our camera and the Truth. Would each text allow us to see Truth with equal clarity?

If a man translated Truth to words 6,000 years ago, might it read differently than the same Truth translated to word today, due to the author’s cultural influences and historical perspective? But wouldn’t Truth still be Truth?

To be continued?